The Official NaNoWriMo Discussion Thread

[Pixelmage]

<Scroll Up to read Xana's summary>

Disclaimer: I HATE SUMMARIES! You can't extract anything from the list of scenes or character skills without actually seeing how they'll work inside the text. And there are no bad ideas, only bad execution.

So, having said that, after WWII. I like that setting: Guns, Planes, but low enoght tech to make "magical" stuff competitive without having to use "Magical Gun > Real Gun".
I also like the Castlevania vibe.

And since I know a little bit of your writing thanks to the RP Threads, I say GO FOR IT. This will be awesome.
(I mean, you have a BLOOD MAGE! Why didn't you write it yet?!)

[agoraoptera]

So I just had a random idea: a Brotherhood of Silence. I already had an idea of Wordsmiths floating around so I put two and two together and here's an idea for a setting.
The Brotherhood of Silence is a dominant pseudo-religious faction in a semi-apocalyptic steampunk world (I just like steampunk). They basically rule the world in little citadels and noone ventures out into the Wastelands because the Noise is out there.
The Wordsmiths are people who have mastery over the Black Speech (and/or the White Tongue) which is equivalent to sonic magic. According to the Brotherhood, the Wordsmiths are witches and warlocks whose actions usher in the Noise to the few remaining cities and lead to everyone's death.
Yes, I'm being intentionally vague with what the Noise is because I'm making this up on the spot.
Any thoughts on it?

[Scarab]

So I just had a random idea: a Brotherhood of Silence. I already had an idea of Wordsmiths floating around so I put two and two together and here's an idea for a setting.
The Brotherhood of Silence is a dominant pseudo-religious faction in a semi-apocalyptic steampunk world (I just like steampunk). They basically rule the world in little citadels and noone ventures out into the Wastelands because the Noise is out there.
The Wordsmiths are people who have mastery over the Black Speech (and/or the White Tongue) which is equivalent to sonic magic. According to the Brotherhood, the Wordsmiths are witches and warlocks whose actions usher in the Noise to the few remaining cities and lead to everyone's death.
Yes, I'm being intentionally vague with what the Noise is because I'm making this up on the spot.
Any thoughts on it?

That DOES sound like a really amazing idea So does this brotherhood just not talk at all unless they have to? They take oaths?

You know what they say about Words Winning Wars . Words and writing are a GREAT metaphor and very symbolic. They have great power over the world. You're creating a world where Silence is law of a kind in a world where noise spells destruction. You could do all kinds of dystopic things like that

Darn I wish I thought of it...

[Pixelmage]

So I just had a random idea: a Brotherhood of Silence. I already had an idea of Wordsmiths floating around so I put two and two together and here's an idea for a setting.
The Brotherhood of Silence is a dominant pseudo-religious faction in a semi-apocalyptic steampunk world (I just like steampunk). They basically rule the world in little citadels and noone ventures out into the Wastelands because the Noise is out there.
The Wordsmiths are people who have mastery over the Black Speech (and/or the White Tongue) which is equivalent to sonic magic. According to the Brotherhood, the Wordsmiths are witches and warlocks whose actions usher in the Noise to the few remaining cities and lead to everyone's death.
Yes, I'm being intentionally vague with what the Noise is because I'm making this up on the spot.
Any thoughts on it?

That DOES sound like a really amazing idea So does this brotherhood just not talk at all unless they have to? They take oaths?

You know what they say about Words Winning Wars . Words and writing are a GREAT metaphor and very symbolic. They have great power over the world. You're creating a world where Silence is law of a kind in a world where noise spells destruction. You could do all kinds of dystopic things like that

Darn I wish I thought of it...

That is an AMAZING setting. Really amazing.

[Pixelmage]

I guess I'll post about what I'm thinking about using too:

Extremely hostile environment, humans are weak but skilled and can survive fairly well. But in pockets of controlled sizes. Agriculture is the ultimate rule, farmers and those who can produce food to sustain the cities are protected as kings. The city boys dream of being choosen as farmhands to leave the frontilnes of the hostile world. The cities themselves serving as a buffer ring to the great plains that are the farmlands.
Wizards are both loved and hated, their playing with the eldritch is what turned the world into it's current chaotic state, but at the same time, without them to help protect the remaining humans, the frail semblance of a society would just be eaten by the beasts outside this last ring of humanity.
Technology is severly limited by the lack of resources and working hands. The military discipline is focused on personal combat and team tactics. Mainly on hunting in the outer lands for meat to ease the load on the farmers. At great risk.
Lack of resources creates internal conflicts. What to do when a survivor group from the outlands arrive? Corrupt leaders hoarding resources? Population control? How can that kid find his place in this world? When a catastrophe befalls on the farmlands, how will man survive?!

[Victin]

I guess I'll post about what I'm thinking about using too:

Extremely hostile environment, humans are weak but skilled and can survive fairly well. But in pockets of controlled sizes. Agriculture is the ultimate rule, farmers and those who can produce food to sustain the cities are protected as kings. The city boys dream of being choosen as farmhands to leave the frontilnes of the hostile world. The cities themselves serving as a buffer ring to the great plains that are the farmlands.
Wizards are both loved and hated, their playing with the eldritch is what turned the world into it's current chaotic state, but at the same time, without them to help protect the remaining humans, the frail semblance of a society would just be eaten by the beasts outside this last ring of humanity.
Technology is severly limited by the lack of resources and working hands. The military discipline is focused on personal combat and team tactics. Mainly on hunting in the outer lands for meat to ease the load on the farmers. At great risk.
Lack of resources creates internal conflicts. What to do when a survivor group from the outlands arrive? Corrupt leaders hoarding resources? Population control? How can that kid find his place in this world? When a catastrophe befalls on the farmlands, how will man survive?!

Oh, the old apocalyptic scenario. Of all the ideas I had I thought I could use in the NaNoWriMo, 4 of them are about them are about the Apocalipse. And this one is kinda like mine.

[Scarab]

Aw man, you guys all make my idea seem really vague and boring Well I guess since everyone else is telling theirs, I’ll tell mine too.

I kind of took an idea I read of in a short story called “It’s a Good Life”. I’ve got a girl, a reality warper, who destroyed most of the universe bar the village where she lives, and spends a lot of the time terrified that people are going to realise it was her fault, and she has no idea what they’ll do then. The remnants of the world surrounding their village, like tattered threads where something was torn away, are haunted by echoes of what used to be people and places, and people are struggling to hold together what remains of civilisation using their memories.
There’s also a guy guarding a box of letters written by the people of the world before it was destroyed. Nobody has any idea where he got them, but there are letters going back years: in old fashioned font on yellowed paper, on the back of receipts, and written in cell phones, and recorded onto discs. As if he knew that this was coming years in advance...

That’s about it :/ Not much to go on, I know.

[Pixelmage]

Oh, the old apocalyptic scenario. Of all the ideas I had I thought I could use in the NaNoWriMo, 4 of them are about them are about the Apocalipse. And this one is kinda like mine.

It's pretty basic, but I won't explore the apocalypse itself. I'll steer a bit more to the society structure... How would man deal with this kind of paradigm shift where the low level worker is more highly regarded than the highly prepared and useless in a fight CEO.
There's no coorporations, no mass media. No industry. No noblity. What matters is if there will be food. Not on the basic level, not in a day to day apporoach, but as the whole concept of society.

[Victin]

Oh, the old apocalyptic scenario. Of all the ideas I had I thought I could use in the NaNoWriMo, 4 of them are about them are about the Apocalipse. And this one is kinda like mine.

It's pretty basic, but I won't explore the apocalypse itself. I'll steer a bit more to the society structure... How would man deal with this kind of paradigm shift where the low level worker is more highly regarded than the highly prepared and useless in a fight CEO.
There's no coorporations, no mass media. No industry. No noblity. What matters is if there will be food. Not on the basic level, not in a day to day apporoach, but as the whole concept of society.

That's pretty much what I meant by apocalyptic scenario. And BTW, the 4 are just the ones I could remember right now. Do you want me to post any of them?

[Pixelmage]

Aw man, you guys all make my idea seem really vague and boring Well I guess since everyone else is telling theirs, I’ll tell mine too.

I kind of took an idea I read of in a short story called “It’s a Good Life”. I’ve got a girl, a reality warper, who destroyed most of the universe bar the village where she lives, and spends a lot of the time terrified that people are going to realise it was her fault, and she has no idea what they’ll do then. The remnants of the world surrounding their village, like tattered threads where something was torn away, are haunted by echoes of what used to be people and places, and people are struggling to hold together what remains of civilisation using their memories.
There’s also a guy guarding a box of letters written by the people of the world before it was destroyed. Nobody has any idea where he got them, but there are letters going back years: in old fashioned font on yellowed paper, on the back of receipts, and written in cell phones, and recorded onto discs. As if he knew that this was coming years in advance...

That’s about it :/ Not much to go on, I know.

Hey! Don't start think badly of your plan! There are no bad ideas! And you can write, your story will be awesome.
And I like this a approach. Very up close and personal drama. It's something completely awesome, you can make people cry reading this if you go for that route.

[Scarab]

Hey! Don't start think badly of your plan! There are no bad ideas! And you can write, your story will be awesome.
And I like this a approach. Very up close and personal drama. It's something completely awesome, you can make people cry reading this if you go for that route.

Thanks. I dunno, it could ALSO make people roll their eyes and wonder whether I stole my dialogue from classic romance for teenagers... and I HATE teenage romance stories. It's all a question of skill, and I'm not sure I have the skills yet to do it well or even what's ACTUALLY happening in the story at all asides from a lot of people wandeirng about going 'dude, civilisation was so much easier than this;.

Still, won't know unless I try And this is nanowrimo. If ANY situation is going to drag unexpected crazy ideas out of us and make them work, it's nanowrimo.

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

Aw man, you guys all make my idea seem really vague and boring Well I guess since everyone else is telling theirs, I’ll tell mine too.

I kind of took an idea I read of in a short story called “It’s a Good Life”. I’ve got a girl, a reality warper, who destroyed most of the universe bar the village where she lives, and spends a lot of the time terrified that people are going to realise it was her fault, and she has no idea what they’ll do then. The remnants of the world surrounding their village, like tattered threads where something was torn away, are haunted by echoes of what used to be people and places, and people are struggling to hold together what remains of civilisation using their memories.
There’s also a guy guarding a box of letters written by the people of the world before it was destroyed. Nobody has any idea where he got them, but there are letters going back years: in old fashioned font on yellowed paper, on the back of receipts, and written in cell phones, and recorded onto discs. As if he knew that this was coming years in advance...

That’s about it :/ Not much to go on, I know.

This is... a creepily beautiful premise. I'd like to see where you go with it.

[Scarab]

This is... a creepily beautiful premise. I'd like to see where you go with it.

Thanks. It's... kind of too vague to feel like it's going anywhere right now, but what the heck, wouldn't be a nano first for snybody to start without knowing where they're going.

[agoraoptera]

Pixel: If agriculture's on top, where does religion stand? What kind of politics would an agricracy have? Where do the 'zards stand in terms of politics? Are the beasts like regular animals or are they like the beasts in Descent of Angels, where this planet is plagued by the Great Beasts and each Beast is completely different and totally murderous? Are there still forests in this world?
Its an interesting setting and I want to see where you go with it
(I did a typo and realised aggroculture would be hilarious.)

Scarab: I was going to say it reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode. Then I went on a quick search for the name of the episode and it was "It's a Good Life" Your basis is noted But I like how you subvert it that she's afraid instead of being all-powerful and all-tantrum-y. I love floating bits of worlds so I like the setting. (Thought: Since what's left is haunted by echoes of the old world, does fiction haunt it as well? ) In a small community like that, you could probably afford to make it very personal, everyone knows everyone, which would compound the warper-girl's fear. Perhaps the warper-girl decides to go ask that strange dude with the letters and try and figure out a way to make everything back to normal. Then you go through Neverland and Candy Mountain, Charlie.

That DOES sound like a really amazing idea So does this brotherhood just not talk at all unless they have to? They take oaths?

You know what they say about Words Winning Wars . Words and writing are a GREAT metaphor and very symbolic. They have great power over the world. You're creating a world where Silence is law of a kind in a world where noise spells destruction. You could do all kinds of dystopic things like that

Darn I wish I thought of it...

Now that I'm thinking about it, the Brotherhood could probably take Oaths of Silence and never speak ever again and communicate in hand-signs. They have made it part of the curriculum that people must learn sign-language. When speaking to crowds, they have younger initiates who haven't taken the Oath to translate off their fingers
And of course, there will have to be a sub-sect of, say, the Saturnine Cult or something like that where they mutilate their ears so that the Noise will never get to them

[Scarab]

Now that I'm thinking about it, the Brotherhood could probably take Oaths of Silence and never speak ever again and communicate in hand-signs. They have made it part of the curriculum that people must learn sign-language. When speaking to crowds, they have younger initiates who haven't taken the Oath to translate off their fingers
And of course, there will have to be a sub-sect of, say, the Saturnine Cult or something like that where they mutilate their ears so that the Noise will never get to them

Dude, you are onto something here

Mind if I add you as a nanobuddy? I wanna follow along with this...

[agoraoptera]

Now that I'm thinking about it, the Brotherhood could probably take Oaths of Silence and never speak ever again and communicate in hand-signs. They have made it part of the curriculum that people must learn sign-language. When speaking to crowds, they have younger initiates who haven't taken the Oath to translate off their fingers
And of course, there will have to be a sub-sect of, say, the Saturnine Cult or something like that where they mutilate their ears so that the Noise will never get to them

Dude, you are onto something here

Mind if I add you as a nanobuddy? I wanna follow along with this...

Disclaimer: That is just a plot idea I'm thinking about. The thing I'm doing for NaNoWriMo isn't going to be this, unless I feel crazy enough to do two stories.

And sure, why not? As long as, you know, nanobuddy isn't a synonym for 'mind-slave' or something along those lines.

Further thought has lead to this:

"Why the symbol of a bat? I shall answer with a question of my own. Why does the Brotherhood demonise bats?"
"Because they rely completely on sound and so will lead the Noise in. Isn't that it?"
"Yes. You have not asked yourself an important question."
"What?"
"Why do bats rely completely on sound?"
He paused, wrong-footed. "To.. to direct themselves."
"In a manner of speaking. Bats spread sound like spiders spread webs. Just as a spider's world is defined by its nets, so does the bat define the world through sound." He turned and gazed out into the thunderous noise-clouds gathering on the horizon. "We are the Bat. We define our world through sound, through Words."

[Pixelmage]

Pixel: If agriculture's on top, where does religion stand? What kind of politics would an agricracy have? Where do the 'zards stand in terms of politics? Are the beasts like regular animals or are they like the beasts in Descent of Angels, where this planet is plagued by the Great Beasts and each Beast is completely different and totally murderous? Are there still forests in this world?
Its an interesting setting and I want to see where you go with it
(I did a typo and realised aggroculture would be hilarious.)

That's the point I want to explore. My original though is that each of the ring cities is semi-independent and gravitates towards a different focus, obviously more than one city agrees on a a lot of things... But the northern frontline, by the forests is rather peaceful and welcoming to the Wizards, while the military-focused fight-or-you're-dead south would execute them just because.

About the beasts, I'm thinking about going with an hibrid of what you said. They'll be whole species of "common animals", only those common animals are the Eldritch Spawn of Doom... Great Snakes, Big Cats, Terror Birds... Not each being unique Colossi, but each species being way too dangerous. To casually ignore.

And the world is not completely destroyed. The catastrophe I'm going for is a Gating Spell gone wrong, it brought lots of abominations to the world that killed people and made the place their backyard, so while there are lots and lots of human ruins, the ecosystem still exists...

What I don't know how to deal with is whether the "gate" is stable and must be closed (someday) so that man can re-conquer the world, or if it is long closed and the civilization will have to get used to the new status quo (or subevert these options as I'm sure you can imagine how... ^^)

And sure, why not? As long as, you know, nanobuddy isn't a synonym for 'mind-slave' or something along those lines.

Further thought has lead to this:

"Why the symbol of a bat? I shall answer with a question of my own. Why does the Brotherhood demonise bats?"
"Because they rely completely on sound and so will lead the Noise in. Isn't that it?"
"Yes. You have not asked yourself an important question."
"What?"
"Why do bats rely completely on sound?"
He paused, wrong-footed. "To.. to direct themselves."
"In a manner of speaking. Bats spread sound like spiders spread webs. Just as a spider's world is defined by its nets, so does the bat define the world through sound." He turned and gazed out into the thunderous storm clouds gathering on the horizon. "We are the Bat. We define our world through sound, through Words."

2 things:
-Just registered on the NaNo... I have no idea how to use it yet... So, I'm Pixelmage there, with the same image as an avatar, if you want to add me there. ^^

- wow. Just, wow. That little chat deserves a Lime.

[Scarab]

Dude, you are onto something here

Mind if I add you as a nanobuddy? I wanna follow along with this...

Disclaimer: That is just a plot idea I'm thinking about. The thing I'm doing for NaNoWriMo isn't going to be this, unless I feel crazy enough to do two stories.
And sure, why not? As long as, you know, nanobuddy isn't a synonym for 'mind-slave' or something along those lines.

It is one hundred percent most definitely probably not code for mind slave. Promise. I'm Smallbug over there.

Also the bat conversation, I like it. Although it does make me think of GuestUser17. I secretly harbour hopes that they'll say "sure, why not?" run with that.

[agoraoptera]

I tried searching for you, it said no results for 'Pixelmage', 'PixelMage' or even 'Pixel mage'. I have no idea how to use this at all, I registered, er, yesterday I think. My profile's agoraoptera, no photo yet. Probably gonna use my facebook picture. Speaking of which, I should just make that pic iconic and use it here as well.

Ooo nicely varied. You know, ring cities make me think of cities floating in concentric rings around a single point haha. Having a minor interest in cartography, would you be making any sketches for reference to the places in the world?

That makes more sense if you're working on a global scale. So now you have another line up on the foodchain? (The biology student in me tells me that is impossible but I'm telling him to hush)

One big Gate, so presumably the concentration of Evilies get higher the closer to the Gate. If your protagonists try to close the gate, lots of potential for climatic fight scenes. On that note, are there any sentient and intelligent Evilies? Actually, I never fully understood the idea of subverting. I kind of get it, but I can't put it in words.

That chat was inspired by Scarab's mention of metaphors and symbolism. Then I thought, "I could do a commentary on oppression!" And then I started thinking of animal motifs and etc.

Oh and Scarab, GuestUser17 was on my mind from the moment I thought of the line "We are the Bat."

[Scarab]

I tried searching for you, it said no results for 'Pixelmage', 'PixelMage' or even 'Pixel mage'. I have no idea how to use this at all, I registered, er, yesterday I think. My profile's agoraoptera, no photo yet. Probably gonna use my facebook picture. Speaking of which, I should just make that pic iconic and use it here as well.

Where the heck CAN you search for individual people? I can't find any search menu option on here, am I just being dense? (I've totally done this before guys, I swear).

[agoraoptera]

Search button's on top right! I like how when I type nanowrimo into the URL bar, the suggestions are all to this page until I add a '.'

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

I tried searching for you, it said no results for 'Pixelmage', 'PixelMage' or even 'Pixel mage'. I have no idea how to use this at all, I registered, er, yesterday I think. My profile's agoraoptera, no photo yet. Probably gonna use my facebook picture. Speaking of which, I should just make that pic iconic and use it here as well.

Where the heck CAN you search for individual people? I can't find any search menu option on here, am I just being dense? (I've totally done this before guys, I swear).

Search button is way up in the top right corner, just beside Log Out. And you can check the boxes so you're only searching for profiles.
I'm Qara-Xuan Zenith there, too, natch.

[Scarab]

I tried searching for you, it said no results for 'Pixelmage', 'PixelMage' or even 'Pixel mage'. I have no idea how to use this at all, I registered, er, yesterday I think. My profile's agoraoptera, no photo yet. Probably gonna use my facebook picture. Speaking of which, I should just make that pic iconic and use it here as well.

Where the heck CAN you search for individual people? I can't find any search menu option on here, am I just being dense? (I've totally done this before guys, I swear).

Search button is way up in the top right corner, just beside Log Out. And you can check the boxes so you're only searching for profiles.
I'm Qara-Xuan Zenith there, too, natch.

Oh, thank you (darn why do they always put 'em in some tiny obscure place...)
Aaaand found Pixel straight away

[agoraoptera]

Yay, found Pixel and added all three of you now

EDIT: Wait, assuming you guys aren't lying about your age and assuming Qara is around the same age as Scarab and Pixel...
I feel waaaay too young to be doing this now

[Scarab]

Yay, found Pixel and added all three of you now

Ditto!

Let us, as they say "Kick arse and take names".